ASHEVILLE – As regional advocates step up to coordinate funding efforts for the proposed Asheville-Salisbury rail route, one of the next steps is identifying local funding solutions for the project, which, in its entirety, is projected to cost $665 million.
One of those solutions for an early funding local match to federal funding for the line — a match that is expected to cost between “$150,000 to $400,000” — could come from the local tourism development authority.
Members of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority subsidiary Explore Asheville, including CEO Vic Isley, met with members of the WNC Rail Committee and the city of Asheville Department of Transportation to discuss funding efforts for the Asheville-Salisbury Rail Corridor, WNC Rail Committee Chair Ray Rapp said during a June 5 WNC Rail Committee meeting.
The BCTDA is able to fund capital projects through two avenues: the Tourism Product Development Fund and the Legacy Investment from Tourism Fund. In the past year, the TPDF and LIFT funds have provided nearly $17 million to local capital projects expected to increase tourism revenues. Another $15 million is expected to be available for fiscal year 2025, according to the recently discussed BCTDA fiscal year 2025 budget.
“Recently, Explore Asheville was delighted to participate in a positive informational meeting with Asheville-Salisbury Corridor advocates,” Explore Asheville spokesperson Ashley Greenstein told the Citizen Times June 5. “It’s very early on in the conversation, so they shared important background on the exciting prospective project and we outlined respective Tourism Product Development Fund and Legacy Investment from Tourism Fund criteria and timelines.”
Rapp said he believes the goals of the project are in line with the “mission and purpose of the TDA.”
In December, a $500,000 grant for the project was announced by the Department of Transportation and Federal Railroad Administration alongside the announcement of a massive infrastructure overhaul to the “S-Line” between Richmond and Raleigh.
The next step for the Asheville to Salisbury route would be an additional estimated “$150,000 to $400,00” in local match funding for the “project planning” stage of the Corridor ID program, which involves the creation of the Service Development Plan, N.C. Department of Transportation Rail Division Director Jason Orthner said. The funding must come from a non-federal source, like a Metropolitan Planning Organization, city or state government.
The specific amount required to fund this part of the project may not come until the end of the “scoping” phase, which just officially began and will end within a March or May 2025 time frame, Orthner said. When NCDOT reaches that point, the specific budget needed for local funding will be clearer, he said.
For project planning, the additional non-federal match is 10% of what the FRA has put into the process.
After that step is funded, the next step in the process is the project development stage, which will require a much higher 20% local match to the FRA’s funding.
Interim city of Asheville Department of Transportation director Paul Ballard called the conversation with the BCTDA “very positive,” as the committee continues to catch local officials up to speed on the state of the project.
“It’s serious now and we have timetables and we have financial needs,” Ballard said during the June 5 meeting, though noted the TDA had asked for more information about the projects after the May 25 meeting between the organizations.
Leaders from the Land of Sky Regional Council recently expressed interest in supporting the effort by coordinating regional leaders, towns and organizations that may be able to provide non-federal funding for the rail project.
Another plan to produce funding is the recently introduced N.C. Senate Bill 821, which would provide an additional $1 million in state funding for the seven North Carolina train routes identified in the CID program.
Despite support from state senators, including local Democratic Sen. Julie Mayfield, Rapp, a former Democratic state legislator, noted the bill had “gone nowhere” after being introduced. The bill was referred to the committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate on May 6.
Timing for Asheville-Salisbury corridor
While funding remains a top priority for state and regional sponsors of the plan, the WNC Rail Feasibility Study released in December provides a better picture of how long it would take to travel on the system.
The Asheville-Salisbury corridor is “the longest” out of the seven identified by the CID program, Orthner said.
Here are times it would take to travel by rail given in the study, compared to times it would take to travel by car and bus according to Google:
Salisbury to Asheville
- Train: 3 hours and 35 minutes
- Car: 2 hours and 10 minutes
- Bus: 3 hours and 30 minutes
Raleigh to Asheville
- Train: 6 hours and 47 minutes
- Car: 3 hours and 50 minutes
- Bus: 6 hours and 20 minutes
Charlotte to Asheville
- Train: 4 hours and 26 minutes
- Car: 2 hours and 10 minutes
- Bus: 2 hours and 55 minutes
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Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.